Marge covered her mouth with her hand. Pete was spreading it thick. But, as always, they were thinking along the same lines. Both of them wanted to split the women up. She’d work over Darlene, while Decker pumped the young one. After the last interchange, the gals would remain muzzled as long as they were together.

Marge said, “Well, my cooking could stand a little help.”

Darlene said, “I’d be delighted to share my cooking secrets with you.”

“Why don’t we go in another room where it’s quiet and you can explain to me exactly how you make your dishes?” Marge said.

“What about the police business?” Darlene said.

“If it means an improvement in Detective Dunn’s cooking, it can wait.”

Marge threw him a mock dirty look.

Darlene said, “Then come on. I’ll get us some pieces of paper.”

As soon as they were out of earshot, Annette whispered, “Please don’t judge Darl too harshly.”

“I take it that Byron and Linda had a little something going,” Decker said.

“It was awful,” Annette said. “Just plain awful. The way Darl talks about it, you’d think it happened yesterday instead of four years ago. She still talks about going over there and pistol-whippin’ Linda—” Annette stopped talking for a moment. “’Course, she don’t mean it.”

“Of course,” Decker said. But he made a mental note in his head.

Annette said. “Darl just can’t let go. It’s not good for the kids to see her in such a state whenever Linda’s name is mentioned.” Annette took the net off her hair. “You know what really gets to me?”

“What?”

“Now I’m not condemning Linda—no, not condemning. What’s the right word?”

“Condoning,” Decker tried.

“Yeah, that’s it,” Annette said. “I’m not condoning her. But Byron was at that mo-tel same as Linda. Everyone talks about how bad Linda was. Pappy Howard rants against her, Pappy and Granny Darcy rant against her. Everything’s her fault. But let’s face it, Mister Detective, it takes two to tango. And no one says a word against Byron.”

“Even Darlene?”

“Especially Darlene,” Annette said. “She acts like it weren’t his doing at all. That Linda bewitched him. But you know like I know that Linda didn’t kidnap Byron and carry him off to the mo-tel all by her lonesome.”

Decker sipped his tea. “Which motel was that?”

“A place in town called the Sleepy-Bi,” Annette said. “Darlene found a matchbook in Byron’s pocket and asked him about it. He hemmed and hawed, then broke down. My Lord, what a mess!”

“Linda and Byron still see each other?” Decker asked.

“No, sir,” Annette said. She shook out her hair. The amber strands fell to her shoulders and framed her face. With her hair down, she looked younger, prettier. “They just did it the one time, four years ago.”

“Just one time?”